Donald (Don) Lee Rand, BHS 1962

Donald (Don) Lee Rand, BHS 1962

Don Rand, 71, passed away on March 12 , 2016 at home in Waldoboro, Maine where he was residing at the time. Don was born August 14, 1944 in Glendale, California to Elmer F. Rand and Gwendolyn Y. Dunn. Don grew up in California and  graduated from Burbank high in 1962 where he was on the Ceralbus Yearbook Staff where he and another fellow student did all the artwork for the yearbook.

Don was predeceased by his father and brother Gary Rand. Don is survivied by his mother Gwendolyn Rand of Cooper Mills, one Aunt, one nephew and many close friends. No services will be held at this time.

In his BHS Reunion profile page he wrote the falling:

After graduation from BHS he attended the Chouinard Art Institute graduating in 1966 and majored in film animation. Chouinard merged with the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music in his last year and the new school name is one that most of you know, California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), now in Valencia, California.

After Chouinard he worked for a while at a little independent film studio over in Hollywood known as Graphic Films. They did a lot of films for the goveerment, including one of the moon landing. He was eventually laid off for several months and Don went back to making  some money restoring and selling player pianos, a hobby with him since he was a kid.

Funny how life can be!!!!  In 1968 a friend of mine and I opened a mechanical music store on Broardway in Glendale, California. We sold player pianos, nickelodeons and all the old Edison and Victor phonographs, plus the memorabilia that went with them. We had a great time and met many interesting people including President Nixon.

In 1976 Ed and I purchased the carousel in Griffith Park from the Davis family who placed it in the park in 1935. We made a lot of improvements and it was a great business for us but after ten years of a grinding, grueling schedule we had to bow out and sell it.

In 1986 I moved to Maine and Ed , my partner in the music business moved to New Hampshire, so we still keep in touch and we both love New England!!!

For the past twenty years my business has been manufacturing music rolls for all the collectors over the U.S., who own nickelodeons, which by the way were Americia 's first Juke Boxes and both J.P. Seeburg and Rudolph Wurlitzer got started this way.

Occasionaily I have down some art work since living in Maine, including work for the Merle Norman Museum out in Sylmar, California. So when people ask about my art career I usually state that both art and music have been in my life for a long time, long time and have enjoyed my involvement in each!!!